As a forerunner of the nowadays Turkish Aeronautical Association (Türk Hava Kurumu, THK), the Turkish Aircraft
Foundation (Türk Tayyare Cemiyeti, TTaC) was founded on 16.02.1925. In accordance with the statute, the TTaC was to collect donations to buy new aircraft for the Turkish Air Force. In the years 1925-1935, 250 new aircraft could be procured by the actions of the TTaC. Some aircraft (like e.g. the Bréguet XIX B-2) was assembled in the halls of the TTaC. In 1935 the statute of the foundation was modified. From that time it was supposed to function not as procurement organ for the Air
Force, but rather execute sports activities in civilian aviation.Upon reorganisation, the civil flying school, Turkish Bird (Türkkusu), was founded on 03.05.1935. Finally the association assumed its new name Türk Hava Kurumu (THK) on 24.05.1935. In 1936 the THK began to manufacture gliders for internal demand. Therefore a carpenter plant was built at Akköprü near Ankara. No detailed specification could be found about the Akköprü manufactured aircraft. Then in 1939, when World War
II began, some German and Polish aircraft designers were able to save themselves by detouring into Turkey. As the Turkish Government was also pressed badly in distress because of the world-political situation, it was decided that aircraft under license be manufactured, with the help of the experienced foreign designers. As a result a new aircraft plant was built at Etimesgut near Ankara in 1941. At first the Miles Magister 1A Mk.I
primary training aircraft was manufactured under license. Later Turkish designed aircraft were added.

In 1948 an all wing experimental glider was designed for the study of the flying wing principle. During the test phase the prototype of the THK-13 crashed in August 1948. The aircraft was repaired and displayed in the air show in
1949 at Paris.

The THK plants produced fundamentally for the internal demands. However at the end of 1951 one THK-5A aircraft was able to be exported to Denmark. At first the aircraft operated as an ambulance aircraft under the name TYRKEN (TURK) and the Danish registration OY-ACK. During its service the aircraft
flew 961 hours and 20 minutes. In 1960 it was resold and used by air taxi companies. After a landing accident at Aalborg on 18.11.1961, the aircraft was pulled from service. In the summer of 1962, the TYRKEN was placed in the children´s park Lagunen as playing equipment. It could not be determined when the wreck finally was scrapped.

After World
War II, the Turkish Government’s interest in its own aircraft production program, rapidly decreased. In addition, enormous aircraft supplies had come from the USA. Therefore it is not surprising that at the beginning of the fifties the THK aircraft plants were experiencing great difficulties. In order to prevent the worst of it, the government decided to transfer the available plants to the Mechanical and Chemical Industries Corporation (Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi Kurumu, MKEK).

In 1992 the THK began to build aircraft again. They bought up all rights to the NAC-6 Fieldmaster/Firemaster agricultural and firefighting aircraft, and tried to sell the aircraft on the market under the new name TAYSU (Tarimsal Havacilik ve Yangin Söndürme Uçagi). After producing only two airworthy and two
completely assembled, but engineless aircraft, the production was stopped because of the general economic crisis and particularly because of internal association difficulties. Since these difficulties were apparently insurmountable, and new agricultural and firefighting aircraft were urgently needed, they finally bought at the end of 2001 five Polish Pezetel M-18B Dromader.